title: Enhanced nonlinear response from metal surfaces.
abstract: While metals benefit from a strong nonlinearity at optical frequencies, its practical exploitation is limited by the weak penetration of the electric field within the metal and the screening by the surface charges. It is shown here that this limitation can be bypassed by depositing a thin dielectric layer on the metal surface or, alternatively, using a thin metal film. This strategy enables us to enhance four-wave mixing in metals by up to four orders of magnitude.
authors.affiliation: ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain. jan.renger@icfo.es
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Renger
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quidant
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Novotny
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D008027:Light; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008670:Metals